Madison, Indiana – Early Days

Madison is almost 200 years old.
As far as is known the first
non-Native American cabin was
built in Madison about May 30, 1808. In 1810 Jonathan Lyon, with John Paul and Lewis Davis, laid out the town. The first sale of lots was in 1811. Situated on the Ohio across from Kentucky, the settlement was a favored and inviting spot for commerce and industry and it grew rapidly. It was incorporated as a town April 15, 1824, as a city by the act of Legislature of 1838.

Madison was a place of much note at the early part of last century. A great number of people of all classes, characters and occupations came to it. In 1816 and up to 1850, it was one of the points of attraction as a new and growing town in a new and growing country .

Today the pleasant thriving city that nestles amid the hills of Jefferson County is one of the most picturesque and beautiful spots in the state. It has an ancient lore combined with a modern progress that makes it attractive to all who have an eye for the beautiful in scenery or a mind for the history of the achievements of the past.

Madison has a geographical location that is as outstanding as its scenic setting. On the north bank of the Ohio River, approximately 50 miles from Louisville and 75 miles from Cincinnati, it at one time shared with both in commercial and cultural leadership. With the building of the first railroad in the United States, west of the Allegheny mountains, from Madison to Indianapolis, Madison became the gateway to the settlement of the vast Northwest Territory.